FFXI: Journey for the Cursed Text
by Enialis G. Dragonne
Summary: A mithra, two elvaan, and a hume search for a text that contains the history of Vana’diel. Come and see this tale of action, adventure, romance, and betrayal unfold. Chapter Two is up and running, the genre will chage with the current chaper.
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note- My very first Fan Fic. I honestly love this game and I am using real in-game places and characters so I need to credit SquareEnix, PlayOnline, and Sony so I don't get sued. If anyone is ever on Siren server, look up Crystalknight, give me your comments and ideas! Also, I'd like to thank Tigris2 for introducing me to the site and editing this work.

FFXI: Journey for the Cursed Text

Chapter 1: The Beginning of The End

It was supposed to be an adventure, one with a very big reward at the end of it. None of them could tell what was going to happen until it did. This is their story.

Our heros are as different as can be. Cheval is an elvaan with short silvery grey hair. He was named for the Cheval River in East Ronfaure. He dedicated himself to the path of the dark knight and has a grim outlook on life.

Fehy Miago is a mithran ninja with purple hair. She is very romantic and is currently looking for the "right man." She's a ball of sunshine who always brightens up the mood when gloomy Cheval is around.

Seig is a hume paladin with short red hair. She is a San d'Orian Royal Knight in Jueno investigating Delkfutt's Tower in Qufim Island. She tries to be as brave as possible, but is a little bit of a coward. She is often at odds with Cheval. Fehy is often the mediator between the their disputes.

It all started on a semi-cloudy day in the Jeunoan residential district when there was a piercing shriek from Seig's room. Fehy and Cheval burst in, expecting a major crisis, but instead they got Seig standing on a chair with a tiny spider crawling around on the floor.

"Seig what are you screaming about now?" complained Cheval.

"That! That right there!" she said, pointing at the tiny arachnid.

"It's just a spider, he won't hurt you." said Fehy.

Fehy picked up the spider and let it out the window.

"It's okay Seig, it's gone now." said Fehy as she helped Seig down from the chair.

Seig didn't answer, as she was still visibly shaken from the encounter.

"Seig, you're a paladin. Your supposed to be a valiant hero, not a cowardly insect," said Cheval.

"Shut it! At least I'm not a traitor to the kingdom," retorted Seig.

"I did what I did for a reason. Not that you thick headed morons could understand."

"Please you two, don't argue. My kitchen still hasn't recovered for the last time." said Fehy, trying to get the two to calm down.

Just then, good old Moogle came in to the living room. The little creature looked like a little girl's stuffed doll come to life, with tiny wings, fuzzy body, and pom-pom on it's head.

"Masters I have mail from the country of Aht Urhgan!" said Moogle.

"You mean that near eastern country? Let me see," said Fehy.

Fehy took the letter from Moogle and read it. Sure enough, the letter was signed by empress of Aht Urgan herself and had the imperial seal.

"Wow. Guys this thing's the real deal." said Fehy in sheer amazement.

."Big deal. What would the ruler of a country want with three common adventurers?" said Cheval.

"She wants us to help find some old documents hidden away ages ago."said Fehy as she summarized the letter for her friends, "And she's sent one of her official bodyguards. From the Immortals no less."

Hours after the letter arrived, there was a knock at the door. The quick Fehy was the one to answer the door. She found a tall elvaan wearing a blue turban and veil. His armor was made of both cloth and metal, which had a blue coloration to it. At his side he carried a curved blade.

"Hello, I believe that you received a letter announcing my arrival. My name is Siygil Shimundal of the Immortals, come to assist you with your search." he said.

"Oh, please come in." blushed Fehy.

Siygil walked into the house and saw Seig and Cheval. The two of them had gotten into another argument in the short time Fehy was gone. The pair looked ready to kill each other.

"Both of you, cut it out!" shouted Fehy, "We have a guest, he's the Immortal that the letter mentioned."

The two turned and looked at Siygil, studying him for a moment

"Nice to meet you. I'm Seig Haert, paladin and Royal Knight." said Seig.

"Cheval. Ex-Royal Knight. Nothing else."

"And I'm in love... I mean Fehy. Mithra ninja extraodinare."

"Well it's nice to meet you all. I'd hate to impose, but since I just arrived here from Aht Urgan Whitegate, I have no place to stay."

"You can stay here! I can have Moogle set up a bed for you." said Fehy, letting her emotions get the best of her.

Cheval and Seig pulled Fehy away for a moment of privacy.

"Um... do you realize what you just did?" said Cheval.

"Yeah. I just landed the hottest guy in all of Vana'diel." drooled Fehy.

"Fehy, there's a difference between landing the guy and having him as a house guest." said Seig

"They're the same thing Seig." sighed Fehy.

There's nothing more comical than a lovesick mithra, especially when there's work to be done.

All that day Fehy followed Siygil around for the rest of the day, doing whatever he asked, except go away of course. This left Seig and Cheval to settle their differences on their own. Bad idea.

"Do you really want me to remind you of why we're here?" said Seig in a fit of spite.

"No, Seig. That's ancient history, now let it be," said Cheval, afraid of what lurked in his memories.

"No. I'm going to remind you Cheval."

What does Seig and Cheval know that we don't? Find out next in: A Past Comes to Light.


	2. Chapter 2

Authors' note- this is the second time I had to do this. Stupid WordPerfect document thingy . . . grumbles. Still, I don't own Final Fantasy, SquareEnix does I enjoy having my characters mix with actual, in-game characters. Also, if I forgot to mention, I'm going on the assumption that those of you who read this know about the game world and the places, though a few people you might not have actually met yet. If you have any questions, you can send me a mail. Enjoy chapter two!

Chapter Two: A Past Comes to Light

This part of the story starts almost a year ago. Cheval was a rookie Royal Knight of the kingdom of San d'Oria and Seig was right there with him. The rookies had the unpleasant jobs of delivering papers and packages, paying the chocobo stables, and guard duty. Cheval wasn't gloomy back then, in fact you could compare him to Fehy in terms of happiness.

The rookie knight turned to the red-haired hume girl on his left and said, "Hello there, my name is Cheval. I didn't know that they let humes into the Royal Knights."

"Hello to you too. And technically they do but they're really picky about who gets in and being a Bastokian doesn't help too much either." said the girl, "And by the way, my name's Seig Haert."

"Well then Ms. Seig, we'll expect you to work as hard as a galka while you're here."

"Don't worry, I will."

As fate would have it, Cheval and Seig were put into the same bunk room and squad and the two of them were fast friends. They knew each other's lives inside and out, only Cheval was harboring a secret that only someone else close to his heart knew about.

One day, while the two of them were off duty, Cheval disappeared and Seig went to look for him. She found him in the Queen Leaute Memorial Garden, only, he was with another girl. Seig poked her head out to eavesdrop on their conversation. She was elvaan with a young face, blonde hair, and the clothes of a noble. The two of them looked deeply into each others eyes with a longing passion.

"Cheval, I don't know if we should keep doing this." said the girl, "I don't mean you any disrespect, but I don't think my father would like seeing us together."

"Do not worry my love. Your father or your brothers will never know of our romance." said Cheval to the girl.

Seig went back behind the corner and thought about whom the girl was. It suddenly dawned upon her that the girl was none other than Princess d'Oraguille. She knew that Cheval's relationship was destined for failure.

That night, Cheval and Seig were at their usual table in the Phoenix Perch Inn having a light meal. That night it was unusually quiet.

"Cheval," said Seig finally breaking the uneasy silence, "I know."

"Know what?" said Cheval. He still had no idea that Seig saw him and the princess.

"About you and the princess, Cheval. I saw the two of you in the garden this morning."

"Then you'll know that she and I are very happy together. Seig, she is the light in my heart."

"That's just it Cheval, she's a princess and you're a rookie knight. It's not going to work."

"I don't need you telling me about how to live my life Seig. She and I are very happy together."

Cheval got up and walked out of the restaurant, leaving Seig alone at the table in the corner.

The next day, the princess met Cheval in the chocobo stables in Southern San d'Oria. She looked around nervously to make sure that nobody else was around. No one except Cheval was around.

"What did you want to show me Cheval?" worried the princess, "You know my father doesn't like me to be out by myself."

"Don't worry my dear. I asked you here to see something special." said Cheval.

Cheval whistled and a chocobo with pitch black feathers came up to them.

"Oh, a black chocobo! Do you have any idea how rare those are?" said the princess with her eyes alight.

"Yes, his name is Koal. His pedigree has been in the family for generations." said Cheval, "You see, my family was able to isolate the feather color trait, thought it does take a few generations for a black one."

Just then, Seig walked in with a package under her arm.

"Seig! What are you doing here?" said Cheval.

"I'm here to deliver some gil. Not all of us have our own chocobos Cheval." said Seig.

"Who's she Cheval?" said the princess.

"A fellow knight and a good friend too." said Cheval, "She is to be trusted."

"Nice to meet you." said the princess.

"Nice to meet you too, Your Highness." said Seig with a bow.

From that day forward, Seig was considered 'in' on the relationship. For the next nine months the princess and Cheval were seeing each other with increasing frequency.

* * *

Finally the happiness came to an end one day. When the two of them were in the queen's garden, King Destin walked in on the two of them kissing. He looked moderately annoyed to begin with, but when he saw Cheval and the princess, he was positivly furious.

"What is this!" he roared.

"Father! This isn't what you think it is." said the princess.

"It looks like my daughter kissing an out of place knight!" said Destin, "I want you two in the audience chamber, now!"

The young couple followed the king to the audience chamber. The king sat on the throne and Cheval and the princess looked at the ground.

"Explain yourself knight." said the king.

"Your majesty, your daughter and I are in love. You should know the meaning of the word." said Cheval.

"I will not stand for this. My daughter must fall in love with and marry one of noble birth, not a knight." said Destin.

"Father this is the one I love, not a noble." said the princess.

"Do you have anything else to say in your defense knight?"

"I do. If I can't see the one I love, then may I never see the city I love ever again." said Cheval.

"Then consider your wish granted. You are hereby stripped of your rank, title, and any privileges of a knight of San d'Oria." said the king, "You will never be aloud to come back to San d'Oria as long as we both draw breath."

"Father, no!" exclaimed the princess.

"So be it." said Cheval, "I will come back and see you one day, my love. This I promise."

Cheval left the chamber and the princess broke down crying. He soon arrived at the bunk houses and there was Seig, sitting on the bed. He pulled out his locker and started to empty everything into his bag.

"Cheval. I heard everything. I'm sorry." said Seig.

"You. You knew about this didn't you? You set me up. You told Destin about us." said Cheval. He felt his heart sink as he realized his best friend had betrayed him, "You backstabbing wench. I trusted you, we trusted you!"

"Cheval, I did this for your own good. It was bound to happen eventually. I'm sorry."

"You can't stand to see me happy can you? My life is ruined because of you. I'm no longer a knight and I'm exiled. Are you satisfied?"

"No. To be honest I feel rotten."

"You should."

Cheval stormed out of the room and left Seig all alone.

"Oh Cheval, I wish you could see how much I care for you." Thought Seig.

At the chocobo stables, Koal walked up to his master and sensed his grief. Koal put his head down on Cheval's shoulder and cooed.

"Don't worry Koal, everything will be all right." He said.

Cheval got onto Koal's back and the two rode off to the south.

"I think it's time we visit an old friend." said Cheval to his mount.

That was the last time anyone saw the disgraced knight and his black chocobo for a long while.

* * *

Two and a half months later, A group of Royal Knights was sent to investigate Delkfutt's Tower in Qufim Island. Seig was one of them. The group of five was near the entrance when they were ambushed by a pair of Gigas.

"Joulvore help the others with that Giant Asetic! Voixnere and I will finish the Giant Hunter!" ordered Seig.

The three elvaan were decimated by the Ascetic and the two gigas focused their attention on Seig and Voixnere. The two of them looked into the gruesome face of their demise. They heard the sound of a chocobo running to them. A savior had arrived.

The chocobo had coal-black feathers that matched it's riders' armor. The mysterious hero leapt of off his mount and destroyed the two gigas in two swings of his mighty greatsword and saved Seig and Voixnere.

"I should have let those giants kill you." said the hero through his visored helmet.

"What? First you come out of nowhere and save us then you tell that you actually contemplated letting that thing kill us?" shouted Seig.

"Well, the punishment would worthy of the crime, wouldn't it Seig?"

"Who are you?"

"Someone you know very well." said the man, "Perhaps I should refresh your memory. 'You can't stand to see me happy can you?', 'Are you satisfied?', or 'To be honest I feel rotten.'"

The memories flooded her mind. Ones of an old friend in a time long ago.

"Cheval?" she said to the savior.

Cheval took off his helmet, reviling his silver-grey hair. His once kind eyes had disappeared.

"Tis I. See what you have done to me?" said Cheval, "I can never go back to San d'Oria or see the ones I care about ever again."

"You! You're that deranged knight that nearly killed King Destin!" said Voixnere.

"Is that what they force-fed you?" said Cheval, "I expected no less."

"I will have my revenge, for my king and my country!"

Voixnere ran at Cheval, thinking that he could kill this so called villain. Cheval sidestepped him and he fell over.

"Now, now. If you try something that stupid ever again, I will have to defend myself." said Cheval.

Voixnere got up and tried his frontal assault again. This time he wasn't so lucky. Cheval pulled out his greatsword and, with one fell swoop, decapitated Voixnere.

"Why did you do that?" said Seig, looking at her comrades bleeding corpse.

"I was merely defending myself, he should have heeded my warning after he saw what I did to those gigas." said Cheval as he put his weapon away, "You see Seig, when I left, I went straight to Bastok. Somebody had offered me a chance to take this path before, you might know him. His name's Zeig."

"The famous dark knight?"

"The one and only. He gave me unparalleled power to protect the ones I love and to destroy the ones I hate."

"And I guess I fall into the second category?"

"Yes. But death is to kind a sentence for you."

Cheval rode away on Koal and left Seig to ponder his words. Later she reported back to the San d'Orian consul in Ru'lude Gardens to report on the mission.

"How did it go?" said the consulate.

"We got close to the tower and suffered a gigas attack. They wiped out everyone but me." Lied Seig.

"This mission was a failure I take it? I'm sorry about your squad. They were fine knights, but it would have been a real loss if we had a prospective captain die. Please try not to dwell on their deaths."

"Yes sir."

Seig left the consul and went walking in Lower Jueno. There she came across a familiar face.

"Cheval!" she shouted.

Cheval turned around and replied, "If it isn't the cowardly paladin. What do you want?"

"To apologize. I'm sorry for what I did so long ago. I had no right."

"Seig, apologizing is only the first step in getting my trust back. The first step in a long journey."

"I know. And I'm willing to do anything to be your friend again."

"You can stay with me. I don't want you getting in my way, got it?"

"Yeah. So where are you staying?"

"Outside the city gates. I don't have the money for a mog house."

So the pair live outside the gates in a little camp Cheval had made. They two of them maintained a tense friendship for a few weeks, until an old friend of Seig's arrived.

* * *

One day, while in Port Jueno, A mithra with purple hair got off the Kazham-Jueno airship and took a deep breath. Several yards away, Seig squinted at the mithra and something in her head clicked.

"Hey Fehy!" she shouted.

The purple haired mithra looked over in response to her name being called. She looked and recognized the red headed paladin. She ran over and the two of them hugged like they hadn't seen each other in a long time.

"Cheval I want you to meet my good friend Fehy Miago." said Seig, introducing her old friend.

"Hello." sighed Cheval in the middle of another depression.

"What's up with him Seig? You told me he was alive and energetic." said Fehy.

"I, um, kinda ruined his life." said Seig.

"Well, I think I got something that'll make him happy!" said Fehy.

"Only one thing will make me happy, and I doubt you have it." said Cheval, slipping into a deeper depression.

"Okay . . . My Uncle G payed for a mog house, so you can come live with me if you feel like it."

"That's great Fehy. I'm kind of tired of sleeping on the cold, hard ground all night."

"Sweet. Follow me to the residential district."

They walked toward the residential district and Fehy and Seig felt like explaining their relationship to Cheval.

"You see Cheval, when I was a little girl living in Bastok, my parents and I vacationed in Kazham during the winter." said Seig.

"We meet when she tried to fight one of the opo-opos that wander around Kazham." said Fehy, "She tried to beat it up because it stole her choco-milk. And I saved her from a night of pain and hurt."

"And we've been friends ever since. Man those were good times."

" And it's going to be like our old sleep overs."

"Only we're going to be roommates."

"And we're going to have a guy with us."

Seig and Fehy chuckled to themselves while Cheval could only imagine the horrors they had in store for him. And they have been living in Fehy's house from then on.

What is this whole document business about anyway? And what are the mysterious powers of the Blue mage class? Find out in Chapter Three- The Mark of Zavak!

* * *

Closing Note- by the looks of the chapter I could be a romance writer. I'm so sorry this took so long to do. I hate having to do the same thing twice. I expect this to go on for about fifteen or twenty-five chapters. Hopefully they won't disappear on me and I have to re-type them over and over again. Please leave reviews on what you think of this story. And finally, when there's a full party (that's six people) I'm going to have a little "most popular character" contest.

Till then,

**Enialis G. Dragonne**


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